Ground hunter&#39;s portable footrest and shooting harness

ABSTRACT

A ground hunter&#39;s portable footrest and/or shooting harness comprising a pair of adjustable harness members which are tethered together so that the harness members may be slipped beneath the hunter&#39;s feet and over the hunter&#39;s knee/thigh area. The harness members are length-adjustable to accommodate an individual&#39;s requirements. The invention not only serves a portable footrest to reduce knee, leg and foot fatigue but also provides a stable shooting platform.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates a footrest and shooting harness and more particularly to a portable footrest and shooting harness for a ground hunter. Even more particularly, this invention relates to a ground hunter's portable footrest and shooting harness which is light-weight, durable, easy to pack and easy to use.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A ground hunter is a hunter who sits on the ground, usually with the hunter's back against a tree, in a semi-shooting position. It is necessary for the hunter to sit on the ground for long periods of time in one position. Sitting on the ground for long periods of time causes discomfort to the knees, legs and feet and makes for a poor shooting position. To the best of Applicant's knowledge, the prior art is devoid of any portable footrest and shooting harness which may be used for a ground hunter which not only enables the hunter to sit comfortably in one position for long periods of time but which also provides a very solid shooting platform.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The portable footrest and shooting harness for a ground hunter who is in a sitting position is disclosed. The harness includes a first elongated, flexible strap member having first and second ends and inner and outer surfaces. A first slide member is secured to the first end of the first strap member. A first strip of loop fasteners (Velcro™) is secured to the outer surface of the first strap member so that its second end is spaced from the second end of the first strap member. A second strip of hook fasteners (Velcro™) is secured to the outer surface of the first strap member between the second end of the first strip of loop fasteners and the second end of the first strap member. The second end of the first strap member slidably extends through the first slide member so that the second strip of loop fasteners may be adjustably secured to the first strip of loop fasteners thereby creating a first closed harness member, having upper and lower portions and inner and outer portions.

The footrest and shooting harness also includes a second elongated flexible strap member having first and second ends and inner and outer surfaces. A second slide member is secured to the first end of the second strap member. A third strip of loop fasteners is secured through the outer surface of the second strap member so that its second end is spaced from the second end of the second strap member. A fourth strip of hook fasteners is secured to the outer surface of the second strap member between the second end of the third strip of loop fasteners and the second end of the second strap member. The second end of the second strap member slidably extends through the second slide member so that the fourth strip of loop fasteners may be adjustably secured to the third strip of loop fasteners thereby creating a second closed harness member having upper and lower portions and inner and outer portions. Preferably, the inner surfaces of the upper portions of the first and second harness members have a rubberized, non-slip pad secured thereto.

The inner portions of the first and second harness members are joined together between the upper and lower portions thereof to provide a tethered connection area therebetween. The upper portion of the first harness member is adapted to be positioned over the right knee/thigh of the sitting hunter with the lower portion of the first harness being adapted to extend around the bottom of the right foot of the sitting hunter. The upper portion of the second harness member is adapted to be positioned over the left knee/thigh of the sitting hunter with the lower portion of the second harness member being adapted to extend around the bottom of the left foot of the sitting hunter.

Not only does the harness of this invention significantly reduce knee, leg and foot fatigue but also provides a very solid shooting platform since the tethered connection between the first and second harness members limits the outward movement of the knees of the hunter with respect to one another so that the hunter may place his or her arms or elbows on his/her knees, thereby providing the solid shooting platform.

Although the portable footrest and shooting harness of this invention is ideally suited for use by a ground hunter, the invention is also useful for anyone who spends a considerable amount of time sitting on the ground such as a photographer, bird watcher, etc. The invention may also have application in the hospital/nursing home setting.

It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide a unique ground hunter's portable footrest and or shooting harness.

A further object of the invention is to provide a ground hunter's footrest and/or shooting harness which is light-weight, durable, easy to pack and easy to use.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a ground hunter's portable footrest and/or shooting harness which reduces knee, leg and foot fatigue, thereby enabling the hunter to sit comfortably still in one position for long periods of time and which also provides a very solid shooting platform.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a ground hunter's portable footrest and/or shooting harness which is easily adjustable.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a ground hunter's portable footrest and/or shooting harness which is economical of manufacture, durable in use and refined in appearance.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ground hunter utilizing the portable footrest and/or shooting harness of this invention:

FIG. 2 is a side view of a ground hunter utilizing the harness of this invention; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the portable footrest and/or shooting harness of this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The numeral 10 refers to the ground hunter's portable footrest and/or shooting harness of this invention which will be referred to hereinafter simply as harness 10. The harness 10 is designed to be used by a ground hunter 12 who is in the sitting position on the ground as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. This invention is also useful for anyone who spends considerable time sitting such as photographers, bird watchers, etc. There may also be an application for the invention in a hospital or nursing home setting.

For purposes of description, the hunter will be described as including a right foot 14 and a right knee/thigh area 16. The numeral 18 refers to the left foot of the hunter while the numeral 20 refers to the left knee/thigh area 20.

Harness 10 is comprised of adjustable closed harness members 22 and 24 which are joined together as seen in the drawings. Harness member 22 is comprised of an elongated flexible strap member 26 constructed from various materials such as nylon, cotton, polypropylene, etc. with varying widths and lengths. For purposes of description, strap member 26 will be described as having a first end 28, a second end 30, and inner surface 32 and an outer surface 34. A first slide member 36 is secured to the first end 28 of the strap member 26. A first strip of loop fasteners, having a first end 40 and a second end 42, is secured to the outer surface 34 of the strap member 26 so that its second end 42 is spaced from the second end 30 of the strap member 26.

The numeral 44 refers to a second strip of hook fasteners having a first end 46 and a second 48. The strip 44 is secured to the outer surface 34 of the strap member 26 between the second end 30 of the first strip of loop fasteners 38 and the second end 30 of the strap member 26. As seen, the second end 30 of the strap member 26 slidably extends through the slide member 36 so that the second strip of hook fasteners 44 may be adjustably secured to the first strip of loop fasteners 38, thereby creating a first closed harness member 22 having an upper portion 52, lower portion 54, inner portion 56 and outer portion 58.

Harness member 24 is comprised of an elongated strap member 60 comprised of nylon, cotton, polypropylene, etc. with a varying width and length. Strap member 60 includes a first end 62, a second end 64, an inner surface 66 and an outer surface 68. The numeral 70 refers to a second slide member which is secured to the first end 62 of strap member 60. A third strip of loop fasteners 72, having a first end 74 and a second 76, is secured to the outer surface 68 of the strap member 60 so that its second end 76 is spaced from the second end 64 of the strap member 60. A fourth strip of hook fasteners 78, having a first end 80 and a second end 82, is secured to the outer surface 68 of the strap member 60 between the second end 76 of the third strip of loop fasteners 72 and the second end 64 of the strap member 60.

The second end 64 of the strap member 60 slidably extends through the slide member 70 so that the fourth strip of hook fasteners 78 may be adjustably secured to the third strip of loop fasteners 72 thereby creating the second closed harness member 24 having an upper portion 84, a lower portion 86, and inner portion 88 and an outer portion 90.

Preferably, a rubberized non-slip pad 92 is secured to the inner surface 32 of strap member 26 at the upper portion 52 thereof as seen in FIG. 3 and a rubberized non-slip pad 94 is secured to the inner surface 66 of strap member 60 at the upper portion 84 thereof as seen in FIG. 4. Preferably the pads 92 and 94 have a length of approximately 14″ and will have the same width as the strap members 26 and 60. Preferably, each of the strap members 26 and 60 has a length of approximately 75″ and a width of approximately 2″. The strap members may have varying widths and lengths.

The inner portions 56 and 58 of harness members 22 and 24 are joined together by stitching 95 or the like for approximately 8″ to provide a “central tether” area 96.

Although the ends of the strap members 26 are joined together by hook and loop fasteners as described, they may be joined together by other adjustable means such as a cam buckle, strap adjuster and the same is true with respect strap member 60. The orientation of the loop fasteners and hook fasteners may also be reversed if so desired.

The adjustable features of the harness members 22 and 24 enables the device 10 to be adjusted to fit the individual liking or size since different individuals will require various lengths. Once the strap members have been adjusted, the closed harness will then be extended around the bottoms of the feet of the hunter and over the top of the knee/thigh areas of the hunter. The tension created on the closed harness configuration and in particular the “center tether” will provide a rest for the foot, leg and knee when in the sifting position. The length of the “central tether” is designed for two reasons. The first is to withstand the pressure of the opposing leg when the harness is in use. The second is to provide a way to fine tune the harness position for optimal shooting and comfort. When the closed harness is placed on the hunter's legs, the slide members or buckles 36 and 70 will be oriented toward the outside of the feet and the hook and loop fastener adjustment portion of the closed harness is oriented towards the outside of the hunter's legs so the straps may be adjusted if necessary. In essence, the harness members 22 and 24 tie the whole system together and act as a cradling leg harness, providing stability and support for the foot, knee and leg and a stable shooting platform. By relaxing the hunter's legs, it applies pressure to the harness automatically and effortlessly raises the boot tips of the hunter creating a comfortable footrest. It also relaxes the entire lower body, providing a cradling effect. To fine tune the position of the knees and legs, the hunter may adjust the “central tether” portion up or down, moving the tether portion up (toward the abdomen) causes the opening between the legs to narrow thereby bringing the knees together. By sliding the “central tether” portion down (toward the feet) causes the opening between the legs to widen thereby separating the knees further. Other adjustments may be made by simply moving one's feet closer or further from the body. This is useful for providing the optimal comfort position and perfect shooting position. In the shooting position, the tethered harness members limit the outward movement of the knees of the hunter thereby providing a solid platform on which the hunter may rest his/her arms or elbows. In the shooting position, the harness can be made more solid by simply pushing the hunter's toes forward which stabilizes the harness just prior to the shot, eliminating the need for finding that lone fence in the middle of the field or taking a standing shot.

Although the invention is described as being particularly adapted for use with a hunter, the invention is also useful for anyone who spends much time sitting such as photographers, bird watchers, etc. As stated above, there may also be application for the invention in the hospital/nursing home setting.

A hunter can go from walking with the harness on his shoulders to a solid “sitting shot” position in under eight seconds.

Thus it can be seen that the invention accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives. 

1. A portable footrest and/or shooting harness for a ground hunter who is in a sitting position, comprising: a first elongated, flexible strap member having first and second ends and inner and outer surfaces; a first slide member secured to said first end of said first strap member; a first strip of loop fasteners having first and second ends; a second strip of hook fasteners having first and second ends; said first strip of loop fasteners being secured to said outer surface of said first strap member so that its said second end is spaced from said second end of said first strap member; said second strip of hook fasteners being secured to said outer surface of said first strap member between said second end of said first strip of loop fasteners and said second end of said first strap member; said second end of first strap member slidably extending through said first slide member so that said second strip of hook fasteners may be adjustably secured to said first strip of loop fasteners thereby creating a first closed harness member, having upper and lower portions and inner and outer portions; a second elongated flexible strap member having first and second ends and inner and outer surfaces; a second slide member secured to said first end of said second strap member; a third strip of loop fasteners having first and second ends; a fourth strip of hook fasteners having first and second ends; said third strip of loop fasteners being secured to said outer surface of said second strap member so that its said second end is spaced from second end of said second strap member; said fourth strip of hook fasteners being secured to said outer surface of said second strap member between said second end of said third strip of loop fasteners and said second end of said second strap member; said second end of said second strap member slidably extending through said second slide member so that said fourth strip of hook fasteners may be adjustably secured to said third strip of loop fasteners thereby creating a second closed harness member having upper and lower portions and inner and outer portions; said inner portions of said first and second harness members being joined together between said upper and lower portions thereof; said upper portion of said first harness member adapted to be positioned over the right knee/thigh of the sitting hunter; said lower portion of said first harness member adapted to extend around the bottom of the right foot of the sitting hunter; said upper portion of said second harness member adapted to be positioned over the left knee/thigh of the sitting hunter; said lower portion of said second harness member adapted to extend around the bottom of the left foot of the sitting hunter.
 2. The portable footrest and/or shooting harness of claim 1 wherein the inner surfaces of said upper portions of said first and second harness members are padded.
 3. The portable footrest and/or shooting harness of claim 1 wherein said inner portions of said first and second harness members are joined together to provide an elongated tether connection therebetween.
 4. The portable footrest and/or shooting harness of claim 1 wherein the inner surfaces of said upper portions of said harness members have non-slip padded members secured thereto.
 5. A portable footrest for a sitting person; a first elongated flexible strap member having first and second ends and inner and outer surfaces; said first and second ends of said first strap member being selectively adjustably secured together to form a first closed harness member having upper and lower portions and inner and outer portions; a second elongated flexible strap member having first and second ends and inner and outer surfaces; said first and second ends of said second strap member being selectively adjustably secured together to form a second closed harness member having upper and lower portions and inner and outer portions; said inner portions of said first and second harness members being joined together between said inner and lower portions thereof; said upper portions of said first and second harness members adapted to be positioned over the right and left knees/thighs of the sitting person respectively; said lower portions of said first and second harness members adapted to extend around the bottoms of the right and left feet of the sitting person.
 6. The portable footrest of claim 5 wherein the inner surfaces of said upper portions of said first and second harness members are padded.
 7. The portable footrest of claim 5 wherein the inner surfaces of said upper portions of said harness members have non-slip padded members secured thereto.
 8. The portable footrest of claim 5 wherein said inner portions of said first and second harness members are joined together to provide an elongated tether connection therebetween.
 9. A portable footrest and/or shooting harness for a ground hunter who is in a sitting position, comprising: a first elongated flexible strap member having first and second ends and inner and outer surfaces; said first and second ends of said first strap member being selectively adjustably secured together to form a first closed harness member having upper and lower portions and inner and outer portions; a second elongated flexible strap member having first and second ends and inner and outer surfaces; said first and second ends of said second strap member being selectively adjustably secured together to form a second closed harness member having upper and lower portions and inner and outer portions; said inner portions of said first and second harness members being joined together between said inner and lower portions thereof; said upper portions of said first and second harness members adapted to be positioned over the right and left knees/thighs of the sitting hunter respectively; said lower portions of said first and second harness members adapted to extend around the bottoms of the right and left feet of the sitting hunter.
 10. The portable footrest and/or shooting harness of claim 9 wherein the inner surfaces of said upper portions of said first and second harness members are padded.
 11. The portable footrest and/or shooting harness of claim 9 wherein said inner portions of said first and second harness members are joined together to provide an elongated tether connection therebetween.
 12. The portable footrest and/or shooting harness of claim 9 wherein the inner surfaces of said upper portions of said harness members have non-slip padded members secured thereto. 